Spanish edition of Amadis of Gaula (1533).

Amadis de Gaula (original Castilian Spanish version) (English: Amadis of Gaul, Spanish: Amadís de Gaula) is a landmark work among the knight-errantry tales which were in vogue in 16th century Iberian Peninsula, and formed the earliest reading of many Renaissance and Baroque writers. Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo (or Garci Ordoñez de Montalvo) was a Spanish author (d. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Events 20 July - Fall of Stirling Castle: Edward I of England takes the last rebel stronghold in the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... 1508 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Spanish () or Castilian () is an Iberian Romance language. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... A knight errant is a figure of Medieval romantic chivalric literature. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... (15th century - 16th century - 17th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 16th century was that century which lasted from 1501 to 1600. ... The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar. ... This article is about the European Renaissance of the 14th-17th centuries. ... For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ...

The first known printed edition was published in Zaragoza in 1508, by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo (or Garci Ordóñez de Montalvo). It was published in four books in Castilian, but its origins are unclear: The narrative comes from Portugal, originates in the late post-Arthurian genre and had certainly been read as early as the 14th century by the chancellor Pero López de Ayala as well as his contemporary Pero Ferrús. For other uses, see Zaragoza (disambiguation). ... 1508 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo (or Garci Ordoñez de Montalvo) was a Spanish author (d. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... ‹ The template below is being considered for deletion. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... For other uses, see Chancellor (disambiguation). ... Detail from Castilian manuscript of Saint Gregorys Morales (Commentary on Job). ... Pero Ferrús (also written as Pedro Ferrús, Pero Ferruz) (fl. ...

Montalvo himself confesses to have amended the first three volumes, and to be the author of the fourth. Additionally, in the Portuguese Chronicle of Gomes Eannes de Azurara (1454), the writing of Amadis is attributed to Vasco de Lobeira, who was dubbed knight after the battle of Aljubarrota (1385). However, it seems that in fact the work was a product of João de Lobeira, not the troubadour Vasco de Lobeira, and that rather than originating with him it was the revision of an earlier work from the beginning of the 14th century. Gomes Eannes de Azurara (c. ... Year 1454 was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Vasco de Lobeira (died 1403) was a medieval writer to whom is attributed the prose original of the romance Amadis de Gaula. ... For other uses, see Knight (disambiguation) or Knights (disambiguation). ... The Battle of Aljubarrota took place on August 14, 1385, between Portuguese forces commanded by King João I and his general Nuno Alvares Pereira, and the Castilian army of King Juan I. The place was Aljubarrota, between the towns of Leiria and Alcobaça in central Portugal. ... Year 1385 was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... João Lobeira (c. ... For other uses, see Troubadour (disambiguation). ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ...

In his introduction to the text, Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo explains that he has edited the first three books of a text in circulation since the fourteenth century. Montalvo also admits to adding a fourth as yet unpublished book as well as adding a continuation (Las sergas de Esplandián), which he claims was found in a buried chest in Constantinople and transported to Spain by a Hungarian merchant (the famous motif of the found manuscript). Las Sergas de Esplandián (The Adventures of Esplandián) is the fifth book in a series of novels on Spanish chivalry by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, which began with Amadís de Gaula. ... This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ... A false document is a form of verisimilitude that attempts to create in the reader (viewer, audience, etc. ...

Characters and plot

The story narrates the star-crossed love of King Perión of Gaul and Elisena of England, resulting in the secret birth of Amadís. Abandoned at birth on a barge in England, the child is raised by the knight Gandales in Scotland and investigates his origins through fantastic adventures. Gaul (Latin: ) was the name given, in ancient times, to the region of Western Europe comprising present-day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Child abandonment or the practice of abandoning ones offspring outside of legal adoption is a long standing social ill. ... This article is about the country. ...

He is persecuted by the wizard Arcalaús, but protected by Urganda la Desconocida (Urganda the Unknown or Unrecognized), an ambiguous priestess with magical powers and a talent for prophecy. Knighted by his father King Perión, Amadís overcomes the challenges of the enchanted Insola Firme (a sort of peninsula), including passing through the Arch of Faithful Lovers.

Despite Amadis' celebrated fidelity, his childhood sweetheart, Oriana, heiress to the throne of Great Britain, becomes jealous of a rival princess and sends a letter to chastize Amadís. The knight (later famously parodied in Don Quixote), changes his name to Beltenebros and indulges in a long period of madness on the isolated Peña Pobre. Oriana may refer to: People Queen Elizabeth I of England Ships HMS Oriana SS Oriana (1959) MV Oriana (1995) This is a disambiguation page — a list of articles associated with the same title. ... This article is about the fictional character and novel. ...

He recovers his senses only when Oriana sends her maid to retrieve him. He then helps Oriana's father, Lisuarte, repel invaders. A short time later he and Oriana scandalously consummate their love. Their son Esplandián is the result of this one illicit meeting.

Rodríguez de Montalvo asserts that in the "original" Amadís, Esplandián eventually kills his father for this offense against his mother's honor; however, Montalvo amends this defect and resolves their conflict peaceably.

Oriana and Amadís defer their marriage for many years due to enmity between Amadís and Oriana's father Lisuarte. Amadís absents himself from Britain for at least ten years, masquerading as "The Knight of the Green Sword". He travels as far as Constantinople and secures the favor of the child-princess Leonorina, who will become Esplandián's wife. His most famous adventure during this time of exile is the battle with the giant Endriago, a monster born of incest who exhales a poisonous reek and whose body is covered in scales.

As a knight, Amadís is courteous, gentle, sensitive and a devout Christian. Unlike most literary heroes of his time (French and German, for example) Amadís is a handsome man who would cry if refused by his lady, but is invincible in battle and usually emerges drenched in his own and his opponent's blood. Etiquette, also known as decorum, is the code that governs the expectations of social behavior, the conventional norm. ... Look up devout in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ...

Literary significance

Called also Amadís sin Tiempo (Amadis without Time) by his mother (in allusion to the fact that being conceived outside marriage she would have to abandon him and he would probably die), he is the most representative Iberian hero of chivalric Romance. His adventures ran to four volumes, probably the most popular such tales of their time. The books show a complete idealization and simplification of knight-errantry. Even servants are hardly heard of, but there are many princesses, ladies and kings. Knights and damsels in distress are found everywhere. The book's style is reasonably modern, but lacks dialogue and the character's impressions, mostly describing the action. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar. ... As a literary genre, romance or chivalric romance refers to a style of heroic prose and verse narrative current in Europe from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. ... A poster for The Perils of Pauline (1914). ...

The book's style was praised by the usually demanding Juan de Valdés, although he considered that from time to time it was too low or too high a style. The language is characterized by a certain "Latinizing" influence in its syntax, especially the tendency to place the verb at the end of the sentence; as well as other such details, such as the use of the present participle, which bring Amadís into line with the allegorical style of the 15th century. A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... Juan de Valdés (c. ... For other uses, see Syntax (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Verbal agreement be merged into this article or section. ... In linguistics, a sentence is a unit of language, characterized in most languages by the presence of a finite verb. ... In linguistics, a participle is an adjective derived from a verb. ... Allegory of Music by Filippino Lippi. ...

Amadís of Gaul is frequently referenced in the satirical classic Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes in the early 17th century. The character Don Quixote idolizes Amadís, and often compares his hero's adventures to his own. Cervantes redirects here. ...

Origins

As mentioned above, the origin of Amadís and his adventures is disputed. A Spanish writer, Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo, edited and published the first printed edition (and earliest extant version) in three volumes in 1508. While the fourth volume is generally regarded as Rodríguez de Montalvo's own work, he claimed to be publishing earlier sources and it is generally accepted that the first three volumes derive from a previous manuscript or oral tradition. Montalvo's claims have recently been supported by Antonio Rodríguez Moñino's finding of four 14th century manuscript fragments. The name "Esplandián" is clearly visible in one of these. The fragments belong to the collection of the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. 1508 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Bancroft Library, located at the University of California, Berkeley, was founded in 1905 with the acquisition of Hubert Howe Bancrofts collection and named in his honor. ... Sather tower (the Campanile) looking out over the San Francisco Bay and Mount Tamalpais. ...

A Portuguese origin is most widely accepted but Amadís has also been claimed by the Spanish, French and Italians. Also, the action seems, from the names of characters and places, to be supposed to be set primarily in England, and it is usually accepted that the name "Gaula" is related to "Wales". The plot ranges across the continent to Romania and Constantinople, and in the continuations as far as the Holy Land and the Cyclades. However, the romance's geography cannot be mapped onto the "real" Europe: it contains just as many fantastic places as real ones. This article is about the country. ... For other uses, see Holy Land (disambiguation). ... The Cyclades (Greek Κυκλάδες) are a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and an administrative prefecture of Greece. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ...

Nevertheless, recently, a new theory on the author of "Amadis" has emerged: A most probable writer of this epic is the Infante Enrique of Castile, who lived for four years at the court of Edward I of England, who was married to his sister, queen Eleanor of Castile, daughter of the famous king of the Reconquista, conqueror of Seville and Cordoba, Ferdinand III of Castile. Lisuarte is Edward, Oriana is Eleanor of England, the maid of Denmark is in fact the Maid of Norway and Amadis is modelled after Simon de Montfort, the heroic French earl of Leicester. Esplandian could be his infamous warrior son, Guy de Montfort, count of Mola. Brian de Monjaste is in fact Enrique of Castile himself, the son of the Spanish king, Ladasán, or better said, King Ferdinand III, the Saint. The Battle against the Arabic King is the Battle of Benevento, against King Manfred of Sicily, who had a host of Arabian light cavalry and Arab archers. Prince Enrique of Castile wandered as knight errant to wage wars in Tunis, Sicilly where he fought in those Battles of Benevento and Tagliacozzo, and became a prisoner of the Pope and Charles d'Anjou in Naples for thirty years, where he wrote a good part of Amadis, before returning to Spain where he became Regent of Castile and died in 1304. It was inconvenient for him to declare his authorship, but it bears his marks as a poet and troubadour. This theory has been defended by Santiago Sevilla in a number of articles published in Liceus El Portal de las Humanidades. In any case, Rodríguez de Montalvo's Spanish version, as the only complete edition known, is considered definitive, and it was the one who made the character widely known on a European scale. Historically, Amadís was very influential amongst the Spanish conquistadores. Bernal Diaz del Castillo mentioned the wonders of Amadís upon witnessing the wonders of the New World - and such place names as California come directly from the work. A Conquistador (Spanish: []) (English: Conqueror) was a Spanish soldier, explorer and adventurer who took part in the gradual invasion and conquering of much of the Americas and Asia Pacific, bringing them under Spanish colonial rule between the 15th and 19th centuries. ... Bernal D az del Castillo (1492 or 1493 - 1581) was a conquistador, who wrote an eyewitness account of the conquest of Mexico under Hern n Cort s. ... It has been suggested that Califas be merged into this article or section. ...

Sequels and Translations

Amadís of Gaul's popularity was such that in the decades following its publication, dozens of sequels of sometimes minor quality were published in Spanish, Italian and German, together with a number of other imitative works. Montalvo himself cashed in with the continuation Las sergas de Esplandián (Book V), and the sequel-specialist Feliciano de Silva (also the author of Second Celestina) added four more books including Amadis of Greece (Book IX). Miguel de Cervantes wrote Don Quixote as a parody of the resulting genre. Cervantes and his protagonist Quixote, however, hold the original Amadís in very high esteem. For other uses, see Sequel (disambiguation). ... Feliciano de Silva (1491–1554) was a Spanish writer. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Cervantes redirects here. ... This article is about the fictional character and novel. ... A genre [], (French: kind or sort from Greek: γένος (genos)) is a loose set of criteria for a category of literary composition; the term is also used for any other form of art or utterance. ...

The later books increasingly use techniques and incidents borrowed from the ancient Greek novel (Heliodorus, Longus and Achilles Tatius) and the pastoral novel from Italy and Spain (Jacopo Sannazaro and Jorge de Montemayor). Heliodorus of Emesa, from Emesa, Syria, was a Greek writer generally dated in the 3rd century of the Common Era, and is known for the ancient Greek romance or novel called the Aethiopica (the Ethiopian Story) or sometimes Theagenes and Chariclea. According to his own statement, his fathers name... Daphnis and Chloe by Jean-Pierre Cortot Longus (Greek: Λόγγος) was a Greek novelist and romancer, and author of Daphnis and Chloe. ... Achilles Tatius (in Greek Aχιλλευς Τατιος) was a Roman era Greek writer whose fame is attached to his only surviving work, the erotic romance The Adventures of Leucippe and Cleitophon. ... For other uses, see Pastoral (disambiguation). ... Jacopo Sannazaro (1458 - April 27, 1530), Italian poet of the Renaissance, was born in 1458 at Naples of a noble family, said to have been of Spanish origin, which had its seat at San Nazaro near Pavia. ... Jorge de Montemayor (or Montemor) (1520? - February 26, 1561), Spanish novelist and poet, of Portuguese descent, was born at Montemor o Velho (near Coimbra), whence he derived his name, the Spanish form of which is Montemayor. ...

The Spanish volumes, with their authors and the names of their main characters:

• Books I-IV : 1508 (Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo) : Amadís de Gaula.
• Book V : 1510 (Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo) : Esplandián
• Book VI : 1510 (Páez de Ribera) - this volume was universally maligned
• Book VII : 1514 (Feliciano de Silva) : Lisuarte de Grecia
• Book VIII : 1526 (Juan Díaz) - Diaz had Amadis die in this volume which was much criticized
• Book IX : 1530 (Feliciano de Silva) : Amadis de Grecia (Amadis of Greece)
• Book X : 1532 (Feliciano de Silva) : Florisel de Niquea
• Book XI : 1535 & 1551 (Feliciano de Silva) : Rogel de Grecia
• Book XII : 1546 (Pedro de Luján) : Silves de la Selva

The Italian Continuation: Feliciano de Silva (1491–1554) was a Spanish writer. ... This article needs to be wikified. ...

• Books XIII-XVIII (Mambrino Roseo da Fabriano)

The German Continuation:

• Books XIX-XXI : 1594-5

In Germany and England, Amadís was known chiefly through its French translations, and in England the cycle was generally referred to by its French title Amadis de Gaule. The French translations did not follow the Spanish book divisions exactly, and the entire cycle in the French version extends to 24 volumes.

French translations, with their translators:

• Book I : 1540 (Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts)
• Book II : 1541 (Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts)
• Book III : 1542 (Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts)
• Book IV : 1543 (Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts)
• Book V : 1544 (Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts)
• (Spanish book VI was rejected as apocrophal)
• Book VI : 1545 (Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts) (actually Spanish Book VII)
• (Spanish Book VIII was rejected because it told of the death of Amadis)
• Book VII : 1546 (Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts) (actually Spanish Book IXa)
• Book VIII : 1548 (Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts) (actually Spanish Book IXb)
• Book IX : 1551 (Giles Boileau & Claude Colet) (actually Spanish Book Xa)
• Book X : 1552 (Jacques Gohory) (actually Spanish Book Xb)
• Book XI : 1554 (Jacques Gohory) (actually Spanish Book XIa)
• Book XII : 1556 (Guillaume Aubert) (actually Spanish Book XIb)
• Book XIII : 1571 (Jacques Gohory) (actually Spanish Book XIIa)
• Book XIV : 1574 (Antoine Tyron) (actually Spanish Book XIIb)
• Books XV - XXI : 1576-1581
• Books XXII-XXIV : after 1594

In Portugal, and other parts of Iberia, the Amadis cycle also launched other adventure series, such as: Nicolas de Herberay des Essarts (d. ...

• Palmerin d'Oliva - original anonymous text in Castilian: 1511
• Primaleon of Greece, son of Palmerin d'Oliva - original anonymous text in Castilian: 1512
• Palmeirim de Inglaterra (Palmeirim of England) - original Portuguese text by Francisco de Morais Cabral : c.1544 (published 1567)
• Dom Duardos - original Portuguese text by Diogo Fernandes
• Dom Clarisel de Bretanha - original Portuguese text by Gonçalves Lobato
• Crónica do Imperador Clarimundo (Chronicle of Emperor Clarimund) - original Portuguese text by João de Barros
• Sagramor - original Portuguese text by Fernandes Trancoso

Subject of the last opera by Johann Christian Bach. Francisco de Moraes (1500? - 1572) was a Portuguese author and writer. ... João de Barros (pron. ... Johann Christian Bach, painted in London by Thomas Gainsborough, 1776 (Museo Civico, Bologna) Johann Christian Bach (September 5, 1735 – January 1, 1782) was a composer of the Classical era, the eleventh and youngest son of Johann Sebastian Bach. ...

References

• O'Connor, John J. Amadis de Gaule and its influence on Elizabethan Literature. New Brunswick (New Jersey): Rutgers University Press, 1970. ISBN 0-8135-0622-0
• (French) Simonin, Michel, ed. Dictionnaire des lettres françaises - Le XVIe siècle. Paris: Fayard, 2001. ISBN 2-253-05663-4
• (French) Vaganay, Hugues, ed. Le Premier livre d'Amadis de Gaule. New Edition by Yves Giraud. Paris: Nizet, 1986. ISBN 2-86503-002-4

• (Spanish) Génesis del Amadís de Gaula by Santiago Sevilla
• (Spanish) Amadis de Gaula: Su verdadero autor es Don Enrique de Castilla... by Santiago Sevilla
• (Spanish) Setecientos Años buscando al Autor del Amadís by Santiago Sevilla in Liceus El Portal de las Humanidades
• Personajes reales en el Amadís de Gaula by Santiago Sevilla in Liceus El Portal de las Humanidades

External links

• Amadigi di Gaula, available at Project Gutenberg. - an opera
• Amadis de Gaula - images of a 1526 edition of the original Spanish text